When it comes to Plymouth's famous green army however, it goes beyond wonder and into the realms of incredulity. To travel to and from every single away game this season would mean covering close to 11,500 miles. That's £1100 worth of petrol before you even consider the cost of the game and the various sundries of a long day out. Even the 'local' derby with Bristol City is 130 miles while the RAC say that it will take close on 6 hours to cover the 360 miles to Norwich.

A friend from university was a keen Plymouth fan and we often went to watch Argyle play against Tranmere, Stoke and Bury and other lower division North-west teams. the result was usually 0-0 or a dismal defeat for Argyle yet the Green army always marched no matter what day the game was played on or how late the kick-off.

The travelling fans now seem to have something the cheer about. Plymouth are unbeaten in their last 5 games including convincing away wins and Palace and Watford. The last game was a 4-0 thrashing of the hapless Wendies although Paul Sturrock was more cautious in his assessment of the game. Plymouth went in 3-0 at half-time and Sturrock said;

"The conditions played a huge part out there. I felt that the wind, which was getting stronger, could benefit Wednesday more in the second half. I was also mindful of losing a 2-0 half-time lead at Bristol City in the week, and didn't want that to happen again, even though we were three up."

Sturrock was referring to the midweek 'local' derby where a comfortable 2-0 lead had been lost to a resurgent City; "We got battered in the second half," he admitted.

Plymouth currently lie 5th in the table and after a poor start Sturrock's new Argyle side have got their act together and may surprise a few people who thought they'd struggle. Sturrock has signed Karl Duguid (Colchester), Simon Walton (QPR), Jason Puncheon (Barnet), David McNamee (Coventry), Graham Stack (Reading) and Yala Bolasie (Fliorana) and seems to fit in well with the Pilgrims. Indeed, since Sturrocks arrival in 2000, the team have improved from 4th division also rans to Championship regulars. It should be interesting to see if the Green Army has the ambition for the Premiership.

Newcastle v Plymouth? now there's a trek!

Plymouth Statistics

The Rams

It seems ages since we played and you wonder how Paul Jewell has kept the momentum going in training. Unbeaten in x games, it looks like the boards decision to stick with Jewell is paying off. There's still a lot of work to do and the two recent away wins shouldn't gloss over the fact that our last two games at Pride Park have ended in draws.

Paul Jewell has a number of headaches to sort out before tomorrow.

Following the dismissal of Roy Carroll, Stephen Bywater will be between the sticks. Bywater was an excellent keeper in our promotion season however a season of picking the ball out of the net in the Premiership left him low on confidence. It's a pity that Dean Leacock and Martin Albrechtson will not be playing as they are more likely to instill confidence than replacements Lewin Nyatanga and Claude Davis.

Both of our potential centre halves have been away on international duty with Jamaica and Wales. Davis was away with Jamaica. "Claude played twice for Jamaica in two 1-0 wins and if he comes back OK, he has got a chance of playing," said Jewell in the DET; "He should come back full of confidence. Football is about grabbing your opportunity. Dean and Martin's misfortune might open the door for Lewin and Claude."

Kris Commons should return to the squad after injury however he's not going to be a shoo in for a place. The form of Nacer Barazite and Steve Davies might leave him on the bench. Jewell is adamant that the players need to fight for their position in the squad; "If you are playing well, you have got every chance of staying in the team."

Mick's Team: Bywater, Connolly, Davis, Nyatanga, Stewart, Commons, Addison, Green, Davies, Barazite, Ellington

What the bookies think

Given the ongoing investigation of the Norwich game it would appear that betting on the game might lead to suspicion. According to William Hill, we are favourites at 10/11 while Argyle are a t 5/2. The draw is at 11/5. Rob Hulse is the favoured first scorer at 5/1 while the duke and Tito are at 6/1. You can get a rather long odd bets on Kris Commons at 10/1 and Paul Connolly at 50/1 to score against his old team.

You can get 7/1 each on the Plymouth front line.

Information for travelling fans

Drinking: There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you’re not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.

Driving: Plymouth to Derby is 250 miles and 4.5 hour drive. Take the A38 and M5 north and then M42/M40 to the M6. You can take the toll and join the A38 again at JT4. The A38 brings you straight to Derby. follow the signs for Pride Park or Nottingham (M1) and you will see Pride Park on your right.

Parking: It used to be at the old Wilmorten College site however that is now a housing estate so away fans should park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It’s about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don’t be tempted to park at the shopping centre on Pride Park unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park for a £5 at the hospital further up London Rd near the hospital and the Railway station. Another alternative is to park at Pentagon Island. Take the exit for the cattle market and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It’s about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here.

Mick's Prediction

Tough game but then aren't they all? Plymouth have done well on the road and in front of goal and our makeshift defence means we might have some difficulties keeping the PIlgrims out.

That said, the team now looks more like a team and their heads don't drop if things are not going their way. That was the spirit that got us to Wembley last time and it could be enough to give us the edge over the Pilgrims.